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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27762874">Refuge at Last</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raointean/pseuds/Raointean'>Raointean</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken, Tuck Everlasting - Miller/Tysen/Shear &amp; Federle, Tuck Everlasting - Natalie Babbitt</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Brotherly Love, Comedy, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Hypothermia, Illnesses, Immortality, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Nightmares, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 22:15:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,445</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27762874</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raointean/pseuds/Raointean</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Miles is heading home for the holidays when he stumbles over his brother. Except, he's frozen, and he has a crutch? What happened to Jesse Tuck over the last decade? Is the water wearing off?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Angus Tuck/Mae Tuck, Jesse Tuck &amp; Miles Tuck</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Good ol' NYC</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This story is also on my Tumblr. I've got the same username there, y'all should check it out.<br/>This chapter includes homelessness, illness, and temporary death sooo.....</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dec. 10, 1903: A small, grey train rattled along the tracks as it carried passengers from New York, westward. One of these passengers was named Jesse Tuck. Jesse was on his way to visit his parents in Treegap after a particularly trying decade spent attempting to stay relatively healthy on the streets of New York City. He still wasn’t sure how he had managed to fail that task so spectacularly.</p>
<p>He had traveled to NYC in order to see Central Park and any other sights he had missed on his last trip there. Not two weeks later, the hotel he had been staying at burned down along with his money and everything he owned.</p>
<p>He wandered the streets awhile before deciding that he needed a job to make more money. The only problem was that it was already nighttime, so he found what looked like a safe alleyway, curled up, and fell asleep.</p>
<p>The next day, he woke up and took a job in a factory. Within a month, he would have been off of the streets and living in an apartment, but it was not to be. After two weeks of sleeping in bug infested warehouses and eating garbage, Jesse got sick.</p>
<p>At first, he thought it was nothing more than a cold so he ignored it and went on with his day as always. The next day, it was obviously something more than that, but he couldn’t afford to miss work and risk his job. He soldiered through another day. The day after that however, he awoke to a pounding headache, a throbbing leg, and an increasingly tight chest. He tried to get up... and failed miserably. He had only managed to prop himself up on his elbows before collapsing backwards onto the ground. That small action had drained him completely and he passed out cold.</p>
<p>He slipped in and out of consciousness over the next week, drifting from fevered dreams to harsh reality then back again. When he finally came all the way back to reality, he was still in the same alleyway he had fallen asleep in, but someone had been kind enough to give him a blanket. He sat up very slowly and took stock of himself.</p>
<p>He found that, while he was feeling much better, he was still very weak and tired. His right leg ached horribly and his lungs felt as if they were on fire, making breathing difficult. So, naturally, he tried to get up... and promptly fell back down as the pain in his leg flared.</p>
<p>He wasn’t quite sure how he had gotten to the hospital that day, but the next thing he knew, he was lying on a bed. He spent two days in the hospital, recovering, as the doctors taught him how to take care of his bad leg. They told him that he had gotten polio and that it had permanently paralyzed his right leg and weakened his immune system. They also told him that he would probably never walk without help again. When he was released, they gave him a crutch to help him walk and sent him on his way.</p>
<p>The next few years passed in a blur of getting sick and getting better, getting jobs then losing them the first time he didn’t show up. He saved all he could without starving (much) and tried to avoid going to The Refuge. Eventually, in 1899, he did go to The Refuge and came out scarred and traumatized.</p>
<p>Finally, December of 1903 rolled around. He collected all of the money he had hidden away and was delighted to find that he had just enough for a train ticket to New Hampshire and a sandwich.</p>
<p>As soon as he hobbled off the train, he knew that he was going to have a hard time getting to the house. It was freezing with knee-deep snow on the ground and a cloudy sky that promised nothing but more snow. But, having nowhere else to go, he decided to brave the cold weather.</p>
<p>An hour later, Jesse was still stumbling through the woods, getting colder by the second. The sky had made good on its promise of snow which was now coming down fast. He felt sluggish and drowsy. His mind was foggy and his muscles were stiffening. He tripped, falling face-first into the snow and couldn’t find it within himself to get up again. He lied there, trying to muster the will to rise but the cold subdued him first. He passed out.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. A Brother's Concern</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Now we get on with the actual story and introduce the other characters!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Miles stepped off the train into the chilly afternoon air and looked around. Seeing nothing of interest, he hoisted his bag onto his shoulder, and trudged through the snow to Treegap Wood.</p>
<p>When he got to the trail that branched off the main road, he was surprised to find that someone had already dug a path through the snow. He knew that it was probably Jesse who had come before him but he proceeded with caution anyway.</p>
<p>An hour or so later, the snow was coming down fast and blindingly thick and the trail had all but disappeared. Knowing he was only a mile from the house, he sped up, eager to get near a fire.</p>
<p>He was still lost in thought when he tripped over something and fell. To his horror, he found that he had landed on a human body. Upon further observation, his horror turned to confusion as he looked on his brother’s face. He knew that Jesse couldn’t die, and yet his fingers, nose, and lips were nearly black and he wasn’t breathing. Miles quickly decided that, no matter what was wrong, he needed to get Jesse to the house as fast as possible.</p>
<p>He picked him up and was immediately struck with four horrible facts that told a story all their own.</p>
<p>1. Jesse hadn’t moved when he picked him up. He remained completely stiff.</p>
<p>2. Jesse was far too light for a seventeen-year-old. He couldn’t have weighed more than eighty pounds.</p>
<p>3. He was severely underdressed for the weather, wearing only beat up ankle boots, patched trousers, a thin shirt, and a ragged vest.</p>
<p>4. He was clutching a crutch close to him. Miles prayed in vain that Jesse didn’t actually need it.</p>
<p>He cradled him near his chest, trying not to hit himself with the crutch, and hurried toward the house.</p>
<p>When he got to the door, he didn’t even bother knocking. He dropped his bag by the wall and moved over to the fire. He set Jesse down and turned to come face to face with his mother. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw the ice cube that was her youngest son.</p>
<p>She turned to her eldest and said, “Miles! What’s happened to Jesse!?”</p>
<p>“I don’t know” He replied. “I literally tripped over the idiot in the the woods about a mile back. He’s frozen stiff. Guess he didn’t feel the need to put a coat on.”</p>
<p>Despite his gruff and uncaring tone, Mae could tell that he was worried. She began to worry as well. It shouldn’t be possible for any of them to suffer this badly because of a little snow. The worst that had happened was the time Angus had gotten lost in a blizzard. He had come back three hours later with a bad case of the shivers but was otherwise fine.</p>
<p>She wrung her hands and said, “I’m going to fetch your father. I think he’s upstairs or something. He’ll be happy to see you two.” She nodded to herself and bustled off, muttering all the way.</p>
<p>Miles watched her go before collapsing onto a stool near the fire. He put his head in his hands and prayed that Jesse would wake up soon and be fine. A minute later, Angus entered the room. He immediately glanced at Jesse who was lying near the fireplace. His attention was quickly transferred to Miles.</p>
<p>“What happened?” He asked. “This is impossible! It shouldn’t be possible for us to get like... like this!” He gestured to Jesse before running a hand through his grey hair and plopping down on the couch next to Mae. He took a deep breath in, let it out, looked Miles in the face, and said simply “Explain.”</p>
<p>Miles sighed before beginning. “I was walking here from the train station and I tripped over something. I looked and saw that the ‘something’ was a person. I checked to see if he was alive but he wasn’t breathing. As I was about to go, I saw it was Jesse. I know we can’t die so I picked him up and carried him here, quick as I could. Pa, I don’t think this last decade has been real kind to him.”</p>
<p>Angus’ brow furrowed in confusion. “Why would you say that? He looks fine to me. Other than being kinda, y’know, stiff.”</p>
<p>Miles looked at him incredulously. “He’s thin as a rail, Pa! And he’s dressed for summer!”</p>
<p>Angus took a closer look at Jesse. “Well I’ll be! You’re right. But what do we do about it?”</p>
<p>“There’s not a whole lot we can do.” Miles said sadly. “Just keep him warm and wait for him to wake up.”</p>
<p>Angus nodded, “You’re right, of course. I’m gonna go get him some blankets aaaaaand, Mae, can you go get him some dry clothes from the attic? He’ll want them when he wakes up.” Miles made to get up. “No.” Angus said, “Someone should stay and keep an eye on him.”</p>
<p>Miles nodded and sank back down to the stool.</p>
<p>After blankets and clothes had been gathered, the Tucks gathered around the fireplace and began what would be a long vigil.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Don't worry folks, I know this one was angsty, but I physically can't read chap 3 without laughing.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Answers at Last</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>We finally find out what's been going on! Why can Jesse get hurt? Also, Miles was a schoolteacher in Nebraska. I don't make the rules.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jesse was floating in a cold, dark space. He couldn’t judge time but he could feel life slowly returning to his body. As he inched his way back toward consciousness, sensations began to wash over him. The first thing he felt was cold. It was a chill that made his bones ache and his mind numb. The next thing he felt was heat. It wasn’t a nice, comfortable, warm heat, (although that was there too) it was an unbridled, destructive heat. He tried to move away from it but the moment he twitched, a third sensation hit. Pain. It was an icy fire that spread throughout his entire body and he couldn’t help but cry out.</p><p>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</p><p>Miles’ eyelids were drooping as he fought to stay awake. He had had a long day and had been talking to his parents and watching Jesse for three hours. All of a sudden, his eyes flew open as he heard a ‘crack’ come from near the fireplace. He waited a moment. Just as he started to believe he had imagined it, it happened again. It suddenly hit him that the cracking sound came from Jesse, but he couldn’t think of what could be making the sound.</p><p>The cracking continued for ten more long minutes as the other three Tucks watched their fourth member with baited breath. At last, just after a particularly loud snap, Jesse gave a weak moan.</p><p>“I think he’s waking up!” Mae gasped. Angus just hummed and continued watching Jesse intently.</p><p>The cracking, which continued for several more minutes, was now accompanied by whimpers and moans. Mae’s heart ached for her son, who was clearly in agony. She wanted nothing more than to wrap him up and keep him safe forever and it killed her that she couldn’t.</p><p>After what seemed like forever, Jesse finally relaxed as the cracks stopped. A moment later he opened his eyes, squinting against the firelight. He looked around, blinking slowly and they snapped out of their surprise induced stupor.</p><p>Mae rushed over to engulf Jesse in a tight bear hug. He stiffened, startled, before relaxing and returning the hug in a weaker, more shaky fashion. She didn’t know why she was shocked to actually feel that her son was nothing but skin and bone, but she was. She was about to offer to get him something out of the kitchen, but Angus beat her to it.</p><p>“I’m willing to bet you’re hungry. Am I right?” Jesse’s head snapped in his direction.</p><p>“Yeah,” He rasped. “I could eat a horse.” Miles snorted at the comment.</p><p>“I’ll go start on supper then.” Angus said, smiling. “You go get changed and then you can join us. Holler if you need anything.”</p><p>Angus got up and began to walk toward the kitchen with Miles in tow. Mae gave Jesse a quick kiss on the forehead before following the other two. Once everyone had left the room, Jesse began to stiffly change into the spare set of clothes that Mae had left for him on the couch.</p><p>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</p><p>In the kitchen, Miles asked the question that everyone was thinking. “What on earth could have happened to Jesse?”</p><p>Mae sighed, “I don’t know, but whatever it was, it must have been terrible.” Angus hummed in agreement from his place at the stove. He had decided to make a quick batch of scrambled eggs.</p><p>They stood in silence for a few moments until Angus voiced another question. “How did he manage to get hurt? Did the water stop working or something?” He had many more questions of course, but he deemed those two the most important.</p><p>Mae furrowed her eyebrows, thinking. After a moment she said, “I don’t know, I suppose we could try to get ourselves hurt to test it out but-” She stopped short, knowing the warning would come too late. Sure enough, Angus already had his bare palm on the stovetop. She rolled her eyes. Trust her husband to do something stupid without thinking first.</p><p>After a few seconds had passed, Angus took his hand off the burner and inspected it for injuries. “Nope! Water’s still working!” He declared.</p><p>Mae was just about to roll her eyes for the fifteen millionth time when Jesse walked into the room. Well, crutched anyway.</p><p>“Um, hi” He said, never quite meeting their eyes. They all noticed that something was up but no one commented on it. Food was more important anyway.</p><p>“Hello Jesse,” Mae said. “You can go and sit down at the kitchen table. Supper should be ready in a moment.” Jesse nodded and limped over to his seat, plopped down, and set his crutch on the ground. A moment later, Miles joined him as Mae started to set the table.</p><p>When everyone had been seated and food had been served, the conversation that they had all been avoiding began. “So, Jesse,” Angus started. “What the hell happened?”</p><p>“Angus!” Mae reprimanded.</p><p>“What?!” He said, putting his fork down on his plate. “Given the circumstances, I think a little swearing is warranted!” Mae rolled her eyes, having had this argument a million times before. “Anyway,” Angus continued with a teasing glare at his wife. “We just were kinda curious about how you got frozen... and why you need a crutch... and about a billion other things but we’ll start with those. How’d you manage to get yourself hurt? We can’t get hurt.”</p><p>Jesse sighed and set aside his plate, now empty of eggs. “I’ve always been like this. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to be even more different. I’m already too different as it is. I can get hurt, sick, starve, even die temporarily. I don’t know why exactly, but I think it has something to do with my age.”</p><p>At this, Mae frowned, confused. “You’re 112. All of us have been 112 and never gotten hurt.”</p><p>“No, no, that’s not what I meant.” Jesse said. “The only difference I could think of between me and the rest of you is the fact that y’all are adults and I’m... not.”</p><p>“Ooooooooh!” Miles’ eyes widened in understanding. Angus and Mae still didn’t quite get it. Miles noticed and elaborated. “Ma and Pa are stuck in their late forties. They’re adults. I’m stuck at twenty-two, which is still technically an adult. Jesse on the other hand, is seventeen, and therefore still a kid.” Mae and Angus’ jaws dropped. They had never thought about it like that. It had never truly registered that Jesse was, and forever would be, a kid.</p><p>“Huh,” said Angus, still reeling from the revelation. “That still doesn’t explain the crutch though. What’d you do? Break your leg?”</p><p>Jesse snorted and said, “Nah, nothin’ that simple. Ikindasortacaughtpoliowhileiwasinnewyork.”</p><p>Angus and Mae looked at each other, suspicious. Neither of them had caught the entire sentence, just enough to be worried. Miles on the other hand, was used to translating Jesse’s overly fast ‘I’m hiding something’ tone and he choked on his eggs in shock.</p><p>“You got what!?” Miles exclaimed, jaw slack.</p><p>Jesse seemed to shrink into himself. “Polio,” he repeated. “But it’s not that bad. I can still take care of myself!”</p><p>Miles just looked at him with shock written all over his face. Angus piped up. “Isn’t that the thing where they have to put people in those metal breathing things?”</p><p>“The Iron Lung, yes.” Miles said, pushing his plate aside. “It can cause breathing problems, paralysis of any and all of your limbs, exhaustion, chronic pain, and it makes it easier for you to get sick.” During one of his stints as a school teacher, in Nebraska, there had been a polio epidemic among his students. He had been with several of them when they died and had had to watch the others limp to school every day. He had helped them recover, so he knew the after effects all too well.</p><p>“Well,” Mae said, startling Miles out of his reverie. “It has been a very long night and we all need some sleep. Maybe we should continue this conversation tomorrow, yes?” Everyone could hear the command under the suggestion, so they all agreed. Miles stood up to help Mae gather and clean the dishes while Angus talked to Jesse.</p><p>“Will you be able to get up to the loft, Jesse?” Angus asked.</p><p>“Um... yeah, I should be good. I’ll need some help getting down in the morning though.” Jesse said, trying to be heard over the sound of dishes being washed.</p><p>“You can just ask your brother. If he’s being his regular, charming self, just tell him ‘Pa said so’.” They both looked over at Miles, who wasn’t paying attention, and burst out laughing. Very quickly though, Jesse’s laugh turned into a wheezing cough. Angus looked over at him, concerned, but grudgingly let it go Jesse managed to hack out that he was fine.</p><p>After the coughing fit had subsided, Jesse yawned and said, “I don’t know about you Pa, but I’m beat. I’m gonna head up and hit the hay. G’night.”</p><p>“Goodnight Jesse.”</p><p>“G’night Ma.”</p><p>“Goodnight Jesse. Sleep tight, I love you.”</p><p>“Love you too Ma. G’night Miles.”</p><p>“I’ll be up in a few minutes.”</p><p>Jesse rolled his eyes at Miles’ gruff reply. He knew that was just his way of saying ‘I love you’. Jesse clambered up into the loft, set his crutch down next to his mat, laid down, and promptly fell asleep.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Last one folks! And this one is hurt/comfort central! Features Miles who has seen and done some stuff and knows how to help people. Also includes a nightmare and a panic attack sooo....</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He was back at the Refuge. So much pain he could barely move. A hand grabbed his arm and dragged him from his bunk. He hit the ground. The Delancey brothers leered at him. Bigger and somehow uglier than last time. They kicked him. Again and again, jeering all the while. He curled up and covered his ears. He wished himself far away.</p><p>Suddenly, they stopped. He looked up. He was alone. Still at the Refuge. Nauseating hunger washed over him. The pain in his stomach grew worse and worse. It was unbearable. He began to cry.</p><p>The Delanceys were back. The Spider was with them. They had his crutch. The Spider raised it over his head. What goes up must come down. Again, again, again. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t scream, couldn’t call for help. One more hit. A loud ‘crack’. The crutch was broken in two. The Spider dropped it. The Delanceys walked away with the Spider. Laughter rang in his ears.</p><p>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</p><p>Miles sat up on his mat, wondering what had woken him up. He listened for a moment before realizing. Jesse was tossing and turning on the mat next to his, mumbling occasionally. Miles rolled his eyes. Of course, Jesse was an infamous sleeptalker. He rolled over, trying to go back to sleep when he listened more closely.</p><p>“No, not the crutch, please, stop.” Miles had only heard Jesse that desperate once before and that was when he was bargaining for Winnie’s life. Immediately, he sat up, determined to wake his brother. He reached out and shook Jesse’s shoulder.</p><p>Jesse shot up, looking around wildly. The moment he caught sight of Miles, he scrambled to get as far away as he could. His back hit the wall and he curled up, shaking, with his head in his arms.</p><p>Miles was frozen in shock. The Jesse he knew was hardly afraid of anything. Even before they learned that they couldn’t die, Jesse was always the one to play chicken with a charging bull or do a backflip off the roof of the henhouse.</p><p>Miles crawled across the floor to Jesse, who didn’t seem to notice anything around him. He took a deep breath and steeled himself. It was big brother time. He moved so that he was sitting right beside Jesse so as not to scare him more and reached out to put a comforting hand on his brother’s shoulder.</p><p>That was the wrong thing to do. Jesse froze and his breathing quickened, if such a thing were possible. Miles hastily removed his hand and switched tactics.</p><p>“Jesse, it’s alright. Look at me. You’re safe, it was just a dream.” After a few minutes of Miles’ coaxing, Jesse finally started to relax. His breathing slowed and he stopped shaking as much.</p><p>“Good, look at me. Do you know where you are?” he asked. He had known a few people who, when they had nightmares, wouldn’t know where they were.</p><p>Jesse peeked out from his arms and looked around the room with wide, panicked eyes, searching for something familiar. “I’m... I’m at home.” he said breathlessly.</p><p>“That’s right. And is there anything here that will hurt you?”</p><p>“No” Jesse sighed. He slumped against Miles, drained. They sat in silence for a while, Miles gently rubbing his back.</p><p>“You know what we need?” Miles asked quietly. “Hot chocolate. How’s that sound?” Jesse only nodded in response.</p><p>“Aaaaaallllllllright, up we get.” he grunted after Jesse made no move to get up. He helped him limp over to and down the ladder, grabbed the crutch, and climbed down himself. They snuck into the kitchen and Miles put a pot of milk on the stove.</p><p>While it was heating, Miles observed his brother. He was sitting at the kitchen table, hunched over and his eyes darting every which way. He looked nervous and paranoid. That wouldn’t do at all. The Jesse he knew was loud and obnoxious at all times and was never nervous about anything.</p><p>Miles had a sinking feeling he knew what was wrong. He had seen it in his father after he had fought in the Revolutionary War and in his mother after she killed the Man in the Yellow Suit. He had even seen it in himself after 1812, the Civil War, and the Mexican-American War. Jesse had clearly been through Hell and back and had no idea how to deal with it. Well, he knew from experience, the best way to start fixing yourself was to let others help you. And that meant talking... to people. Oh joy.</p><p>He took the milk off of the burner before it could boil over. He mixed up the two mugs of fragrant, steaming nectar from heaven and brought them over to the table. Setting one down in front of himself and the other in front of Jesse, he sat down and looked his brother in the eye.</p><p>“We need to talk,” he said, getting right to the point. “It’s kinda obvious to everyone that you’ve had something of a rough decade.” Jesse snorted at this. “And that you’ve developed some issues because of it. I just want you to know that everyone in this house has had similar issues and we want to help you. We can’t help you if you don’t talk to us though. I know it’s hard but you need to trust me on this.”</p><p>Jesse sat for a minute, stirring his cocoa and thinking. On the one hand, he trusted Miles and knew that he knew what he was talking about, remembering what his brother was like just after his first battle. The nightmares and anxiety were eating him alive and Miles had dealt with all of that before.</p><p>On the other hand, the Refuge was not the same as a battlefield. Fighting a battle was scary and horrible but it was also honorable and proved one to be strong. The Refuge was just a place where one got picked on for any misdeed. The only way to get out was to survive and not fight back. There was no honor or strength or glory in that, only cowardice.</p><p>Eventually though, he decided that if he was going to live forever, he didn’t want to carry his baggage around for all eternity. He could prove himself later.</p><p>They ended up talking until the early hours of the morning, just before their mother got up. Jesse told Miles all about the Refuge. The beatings, the lack of food, the vermin, the close quarters.</p><p>He also talked about the strike and his newsie friends. Jack, Davey, Les, Race, Albert. And the hijinx they got up to. Like throwing rotten fruit at mean cops and seeing how many ladies they could flirt with every day.</p><p>Miles gave Jesse tips on how to cope with his nightmares and curb his anxiety. He also constantly reinforced the notion that he could go to anyone in their family for advice or even just to vent.</p><p>Jesse hated reliving the abuse he endured, feeling that it was cowardly and pathetic, but Miles threw that notion right out of the window. He told him that endurance was one of the hardest things to do, especially in conditions where there is a clear person in charge to fight against.</p><p>After all was said and done, Jesse was surprised to find that he felt a little bit lighter. He knew that he would never be the same again, but for the first time in a long time, he felt hopeful. He had found refuge, real refuge, at last.</p>
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